In Copenhagen, Rolls-Royce and towing company Svitzer recently demonstrated the first remotely operated (commercial) vessel. Earlier this year, a number of manoeuvres were already practised in which the captain of the ship from the head office moored the ship from the port, turned it 360 degrees and let it sail to the head office, where it was docked.
The two companies are working together to test remotely and autonomously operated vessels. The technological know-how of Rolls-Royce and practical know-how of towing company Svitzer are a good match. In doing so, the focus is on autonomous navigation, situational awareness, remote control centre and communication.
The vessel in question is equipped with a pair of MTU 16V4000 M63 diesel engines from Roll-Royce each with an output of 2,000 kW at 1,800 rpm. In addition, the vessel is equipped with the Dynamic Positioning System which links to the remote control system.
A number of sensors on board the ship combine different types of data using advanced software. This informs the captain about the ship and its environment. The data are reliably and securely sent to a Remote Operating Centre (ROC) where the captain is located.
In the project, the two companies are being assisted by Lloyd's Register. The latter expects that the arrival of autonomous ships will not be long in coming. Although it turned out not to be necessary, during the test, a complete team of captain and crew was on board to safely take over the operation when necessary.
Source: Rolls-Royce
